Domestic appliance



Dec. 22, 1942. B, DYER 2,305,956

DOMESTIC APPLIANCE Filed May 26, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 22, 1942 DOMESTIC APPLIANCE John B. Dyer, Dayton, Ohio, asslgnor to General Motors Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, at corporation of Delaware Application May 26, 1939, Serial No. 275,950

1 Claim. (01. 68-597) This invention relates to a domestic appliance and more particularly to washing machines in which the washing, rinsing and drying operations are performed in a single tub.

The trend in washing machines is toward reduction in labor in washing and drying and simplification of the mechanism, particularly there is a trend toward washing machines in which the washing, rinsing and drying operations are performed within a single container. In some recent washing machines, agitation means has been provided within a centrifugal drying receptacle in accordance with this trend so that washing and drying may be accomplished without the transfer of the clothes during the washing operation. Such washing machines require considerable expensive mechanism, especially because the agitating means must be operated at a relatively slow speed and the centrifugal drying receptacle must be operated at high speed. Therefore two sets of drive mechanisms are required and this makes the machinery and the completed cost of the washing machine more expensive than most families can afford.

It is therefore an object of my invention toprovide a simple inexpensive washing machine in which the washing, rinsing and drying operations can be accomplished in the same receptacle without transfer or handling of the material being washed.

It is another object of my invention to provide a washing machine in which the same mechanism is used for performing the washing, rinsing and drying operations.

It is another object of my invention to provide a washing machine which operates at the same speed for washing, rinsing and drying.

It is still another object'of my invention to provide a. washing machine in which the washing, rinsing and drying operations can be satisfactorily performed in a much shorter period of time.

It is another object of my invention to provide a washing machine which requires the use of less hot water and less rinse water.

It is another object of my invention to provide a washing machine with an improved washing, rinsing and drying mechanism having little tendency to vibrate and which operates at a relatively slow speed without requiring excessive gear reduction or creating great stresses.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to theaccompanylng drawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a washing machine embodying one form of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the lines 22 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the'lines 33 of Fig. 1 v

Brief description Briefly, my washing machine involves as its essential elements a roller with a rubber covered surface which rolls upon the inner surface of a container or receptacle having a cylindrical wall. The axis of rotation may be in any plane but as shown the container or receptacle is in the form of a tub which is rotatable about its central vertical axis. The bearing for the rotatable tub' is resiliently supported and the rubber covered roller member is driven by an electric motor and out every revolution so that the clothes are thorv oughly washed by this method. A centrally located drain connection is provided through which the water may be drained from the tub and rinse water can then be introduced preferably just in advance of the roller. The operation of the tub may be continuous and water introduced and drained while the tub and roller are in rotation. After the final rinsing the tub is drained and the operation of the tub and roller is continued until substantially all of the water is squeezed out of the clothes.

The tub Referring now to the drawings there is shown a washing machine generally designated by the reference character 20 including a tub 22 having a cylindrical sidewall and a bottom wall which is sloped downwardly to its center portion where the outer shell of the tub is connected to a hollow bearing pin 24 provided with a passage 28 for draining the tub. The passage 26 is provided with a rubber stopper 21 or some other suitable means for closing the passagev 26 when it is desired to retain water in the tub. The bearing pin 24 is provided with a shoulder portion and a sleeve portion which are supported by the bearmember I8 is provided with a v beneath the pinion 84 which meshes with a simcase portion 88. These gears ing 28. The bearing 28 is provided with an upper flange portion which provides a bearing support for the flanged portion of the bearing pin 28. The bearing 28 also has a cylindrical portion which receives and provides a bearing for the hollow pin portion of the bearing pin 24. Beneath the bearing 28, the bearing pin 24 is provided with a collar 88 which is fastened by a set-screw so as to lock the bearing pin 24 within the bearing 28.

The flanged portion of the bearing 28 is supported by a heavy ring 82 of a rubber-like material such as properly compounded soft rubber. This ring 82 is supported upon a metal ring 84 which is welded to flanged arms 38which extend radially outwardly to a skirt ring 88 located immediately beneath the tub 22 and formed in substantially the same shape. These arms 88 are fastened by the screws 40 to the legs 42 and d8 of the washing machine. Beneath the metal ring 88 is another heavy ring 48 of a rubberlike material beneath which there is provided a metal ring 48. Screws 88 extend through the metal ring 48, the two rubber rings 32 and 48 and through large holes in the ring 34 and are threaded into the flange of the bearing member 28 in order to provide a resilient mounting for the bearing 28 which will hold the tub in place during all normal conditions of loading.

The motor and roller support The leg 84 also supports the driving mechanism of the washing machine. At the upper end. this leg 48 is provided with a yoke 52 having a pin 58 extending between its arms. This pin pivotally connects the yoke 52 to the motor and roller support as designated by the reference character 88. This yoke 52 is normally locked with its upper face in a horizontal position by a locking lever 58 pivotally connected by the pin 8| to the outer portion of the casing 58 and is provided with the locking shoulder which engages the bottom of a notch provided in the upper portion of the leg 88. Bolted to the upper face of the casting 88 by the screws 80 is an electric motor 82 having a vertical axis and provided with thrust bearings for operating in this position. This motor drives a small pinion 2g within the gear case portion 88 of the casting The epicyclic pear train This gear case portion 88 includes an epicyclic gear train for reducing the speed of the motor 62. This epicyclic gear train includes three gears 88, which are rotatably mounted upon pins provided in a three lobed member 18. These gears mesh on the inside with the pinion 84 and on the outside with a ring gear I2 which is fixed within the gear case portion 68. The three-lobed ilar set of gears 18 which in another ring gear also formed turn mesh with mounted on pins provided in a second three-lobed member 88 which is keyed to the upper endof the roller shaft 82.

rn roller and shaft This roller shaft 82 is supported by bearings provided at the upper and lower ends of a shaft casing 88 which extends downwardly from the gear case portion 88 and is an integral part ofthe casting 88 pivoted upon the pin 84. The lower end of the shaft casing 84 is provided pinion directly l with an oil seal and the shaft 82 is provided with'oil grooves for carrying the lubricant upwardly in the bearing portions located at the upper and lower portions of the shaft casing 84.

A heavy metal disc 88 is fastened to the lower end of the shaft 82 by a key and a nut. This disc 88 is connected to the roller 88 by six rods 88. The rods 88 pass through holes on the disc 88 and are locked in place by the set-screws 8|. The upper and lower ends of the rods 88 are connected to the peculiarly shaped brackets: 82 which are fastened to the inner metal wall 84 of the roller 88. These brackets 82 are formed I of an angle shape with the horizontal portion of the angle turned back. This turned back portion serves as a stop for the ends of the rods 88 which extend-through holes in the other por-. tion of the bracket. The rods 88 are formed of resilient steel, such as spring steel or stainless steel and provide a resilient support for the roller 88 to correct for the inequalities of the wash which passes between it and the cylindrical side wall of the tub 22. In order to further correct for these inequalities of the material being washed the roller 88 is provided with a very thick covering of very soft rubber 88 or other suitable material.

In order to prevent the squeezing action be tween the roller 88 and the side wall of the tub 22 from producing a strain at the bearing 28, there is a set of rollers 88 provided upon the outside of the tub 22 which bear against the outside of the tub 22 directly on the other side of the wall from the roller 88. This set of rollers 98 is shown as formed of four wooden rollers which are rotatably mounted upon a rod H8 fastened to bosses extending from the leg" 44. However, these rollers may be made of other materials and may be provided with any suitable type ofbearing support. If desired instead of driving the roller 88, the motor 82 may be arranged either above or below the tub 22 in order to drive the rollers 88 or even the tub 22. If anysort of difficulty occurs and it is desired to stop the action immediately the latch 58 may be pulled outwardly ing 88 to pivot in the pivot point 54.

Operation in order to permit the casta clockwise direction about are placed therein. A nozzle I I 2 may be provided for introducing water into the tub. The motor 62 is then started in operation and its speed and the gear reduction provided in the epicyclic gear train as well as the size of the'roller 88 are so within the gear. 18 are rotatably'v selected that the tub 22 will make about five and one-half revolutions per minute. The clothes will be squeezed against the cylindrical side wall of the tub 22 by the roller 88 and each time the clothes pass between the roller 88 and the side wall of the tub the water will be squeezed out,

after which during the remainder of the revolu- 4 tions of the tub the wash water will againsoak into and saturate the clothes. This alternate squeezing and soaking of the clothes provides an effective washing operation. The roller 88 is sufficiently large and its rubber coating 88 is smciently thick and soft that the clothes are not damaged by this slow speed squeezing operation. It has been found that the clothes are thoroughly washed in about one-half the length of time required by present-day washing machines.

Following this, without stopping the motor 62, the stopper 2! may be pulled and the tub 22 drained. Practically all of the wash water is squeezed out of the clothes by the roller 88 by the time the tub 22 is drained. The stopper 21 is then replaced and rinse water introduced through the spout H2 which discharges rinse water upon the clothes just before they are squeezed by the roller 88. After a number of revolutions of the tub 22 the stopper is again removed and the first rinse water is drained; During this time substantially all of the first rinse water is squeezed from the clothes. The stopper 2! is then replaced and asecond rinse water is introduced'through the spout H2 and the clothes are thoroughly rinsed by the continued operation of the motor 62. After this the stopper 21 is again removed and the motor 62 continues to operate until the I clothes are squeezed or wrung sufficiently dry to Other than this it is only necessary to introduce and remove the material to be washed at the beginning and at the completion of the washing.

It will also .be evident that this washing machine is provided with a simple mechanism and that the attention required and the'labor involved in performing a washing is kept at a minimum. The size of the tub22 may be kept small and in this way the amount of water required may be kept small. The roller I! displaces a certain amount of water and this also reduces the amount of water required. The depth of'water required in the tub 22 is also less than is required for other types of, w machines. Because of the slow speed of operation 0; the tub 22 andthe roller 88 there is substantially no vibration. The resilient support for the roller 88 and the tub 22 prevents great stresses upon the bearings and although the washing, rinsing and drying is performed by a squeezing operation the pressureemployed in squeezing is not great and therefore the mechanism is not subject to great stresses on account of this method. Furthermore, stresses are reduced because of the slow speed of operation which avoids any substantial centrifugal force.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, itis to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claim which follows.

What is claimed is as follows: 4

A washing machine including a rotatable washing receptacle member, a rotatable roller member passes between said first roller member and said wall.

JOHN B. DYER. 

